Nack the Weasel: I wasn't There
by Sonic Rose
Summary: Nic and Nack the Weasels race for a Chaos Emerald in a contest. But not just any emerald, and to reach the finish line may mean death. Will Nack make it in time?


Disclaimer: Nack the Weasel and other Sonic Characters are property of their respective owners such as SEGA or Archie Comics. Crystal Echidna are s my own fan char.  
  
Sensations gripped the weasel on bent knee, sadness, sorrow, fear, regret. Tears ran down in small streams through the white fur of the lavender weasel's face. "Sis..." he said softly. He stayed knelt on the harsh marble block floor of the abandoned temple. "...c... C'mon.... huh? Say something will ya?" He sniffled. "Tell me how I'm always in your way right? heh... I'm the one always nearly dying... not you..." His voice trailed off to nothing.  
  
At last he found the strength to pull the female weasel like him into his arms. 'So cold...' he thought, and stroked her bangs out of her face. 'So still...' He tried to fight it off, but it was staring him in the face - death. He wanted to say something, tell her it'd be all right, if she was still there to talk to. Her pretty, well kept braid was messed up in shambles, her eyes remain shut, and her breathing he felt, was purely his own wishful thinking's imagination.  
  
"Somebody... Help!" the Weasel sobbed. "I don't care about the Emerald! I just want my sister back! Do you hear me!?" Like cursing nothing out in the middle of nowhere would get him somewhere. He sighed and gave into his sadness. Sure he'd not been on the best terms with her, but they never seemed to be.  
  
It was that way when they came to this old temple, both in search of the same thing, a Chaos Emerald. No one hired them for a change, it was a treasure hunt, a Contest. "Only the best of the best take such a test!" At least, that's what the flier said. Million dollar reward to the one who retrieves the Chaos Emerald from the Albion temple. Even if they didn't get the reward money, a Chaos Emerald was valuable enough on its own, and Nack was no stranger to obesrving its wonderous yet frightening power.  
  
Nic's problem was finding Albion - European Legends told of Avalon, the Resting Place of King Arthur, but few told of Albion, the homeland of the first Echidnas. Still, Nic persued the legend of Mobian Eve and eventually located the island. It was so strange, so technological and massive in comparisson with the Floating Island or even NYC. The Floating Island's Echidnopolis was more advanced than new York since its discovery, but both cities combined next to the shining wonder of Albion! Yet some parts of the island remained pristine and new. Full of nature and native life, the small crumbling temple alone in the deep Jungle seemed to be a pitiful excuse for an Emerald warehouse. Surely it would be all too easy to take it once she was there.  
  
The thing Nack knew that she did not was this - that Albion Echidnas were keen and sharply aware of intruders to their homeland. To their own kind, little was questioned, but to another species, the intruder would be found and dealt with - quickly and often brutally.  
  
Vibrant and still full of life, Nic had run through the Jungle, determiend to beat her brother to the punch. It had all gone so well for her - aside the new mosquito bites. She'd laughed to herself when she caught sight of the ancient temple. "I'll be more than rich when I pull this off. Huh, this is like candy from a baby." She smirked and cautiously headed up the vine covered steps.  
  
No one would ever be the wiser, that she was here. No one was around for miles. She tripped over a loose step and thought she felt another pesky mosquito bite her neck. Grumbling to herself about the insect overpopulation, she continued deeper into the temple.  
  
Some traps had already been sprung - a pit with painful bamboo spikes at the bottom had several skeletons littered among them. Darts and arrows were stuck in opposing walls, and so on. The traps had once been well maintained, she could tell, perhaps when it was used for real religious ceremonies, the traps were manned at night to keep intruders out, but disarmed during the day. The Chaos Emerald was not originally part of the temple, but once it came into the possession of the Echidnas of Albion, it also became part of the decaying temple.  
  
Other traps however, were a bit more subtle and crafty. The bounty hunter, sensing something was up when she came to a pair of opposing buddah- like Echidna statues holding up the palms of their hand toward each other like a friendly wave. Something seemed a bit odd about them, for one thing they didn't have as much moss and bramble choking them out, and they seemed younger somehow - not that anyone can yet accurately date a rock. So, going on her instinct, she opened up a small gas cap which quickly flooded the room with mist - and exposed the laser beams crossing each other in front of her.  
  
"Now this is something you don't see every day." She chuckled, "I guess this place does get visitors." She continued on to the maze hall, a small circular maze to get to the center, nothing too elaborate, but disorienting. As she went she felt the heat overtaking her. 'It's just the sun..' she thought. It was hot here in the Jungle after all, low 90's was the norm. She really hadn't thought how the heat would effect her, but she tried shrugging it off and took a sip from her canteen.  
  
Finally she reached the inner sanctum of the Temple, it by both natural lightfiltering through cracks in the ceiling and artificial florescent lights. 'So strange...' Still, she hadn't seen any signs of cameras, and strolled toward the Emerald, a smile on her face. "Beat you this time.." She chuckled.  
  
"Where's your brother now?" came a harsh female voice behind Nic. As she turned around, the white echidna who had spoken stabbed Nic with some kind of needle.  
  
"What!? What have you.... you...." Nic was already feeling dizzy. "done to me?" She pressed a hand to her forehead. "Why....?" she fell onto the floor with a certain lack of grace. She clung to the girl's robes and the echidna gently rest her hands on the weael lady's shoulder.  
  
"My Child..." She said with a soft motherly voice which mocked Nic in her mind. "...we all pay for our sins some time. "  
  
"I'm a... a a bounty Hunter... it's just my job!" She protested, growling slightly as a headache welled up in her adding to the pain her body was already being subjected to. Ice and fire seemed to swirl in her blood, a hot unforgiving feeling in her head and a cold iced over feeling in her fingers.  
  
"So it is... by your choice." She said again softly. "You received one half of the serum when you tripped over that rock..." And instantly Nic recalled the so called mosquito bite, "And the second I delivered personally."  
  
"Whyy...?" Nic insisted, looking up at the white Echidna. She was familiar... so familiar. She remembered her from some mission.. her mother had died and she wanted to know why. She just couldn't imagine why this girl... Crystal ...would hurt her, she didn't seem the type.  
  
"I want to see something Nic... that's why I started this contest you see." She looked at the fake Chaos Emerald sitting on the pillar. "The Albion Council supported me because I'm one of their kind, and moreover because of my white fur. Purity they call it. 'Pureborn Crystal.'" She smiled slightly then more distant eyes took another gaze at the Emerald. "It's too dangerous he said. I want to know... what he'd do.. if he couldn't be there."  
  
"This..." Nic shook and shivered, "Was all for... Nack?" the hot feeling was leaving her and she felt like she would freeze now if she didn't get warmer fast... but how could she? it was 90 degree heat already.  
  
Nic fell limp on the floor, and Crystal backed off into the shadows. Nack, as expected, was not far behind, and instead of the emerald, he'd bolted first to his sister. So mournful, so painful his cries were, and they rang full across the Temple and into the Jungle.  
  
"...Sis..." Nack sighed softly, he rubbed her shoulders trying to feel some wamth rub off on them but she was cold as ice. He shook his head again. "Durnit! I shoulda been there for you sis!" he cried. "Why wasn't I!? Durn fool... Always... always telling me to stay away... See what happens?" he choked between sobs. "I love you sis... I never wanted to let you down... Even if it always seems you had it together..." He sighed.  
  
'So you really can't always be there. Maybe... you were right.' Crystal thought to herself. 'She won't remember I hope...'  
  
Nack began to walk out of the temple after hefting Nic up into his arms. "Always were a heavy sleeper..." He laughed trying to shake himself out of this mood, but he couldn't stop crying. "You should be the one carrying me out of here right?... Yeah."  
  
As he was leaving, his foot kicked a cylinder of glass, and almost tripped over it. "Huh?" He could see a blue liquid in the small vile. He could tell Nic still wanted to live... so maybe it wasn't too late. Just a feeling, but he didn't think it was supposed to end like this and opened up the small vile. He tilted his sister's head back and brought it to her lips. 'Dear God I hope this works' he prayed in his thoughts... 'Mama... please...'  
  
Nack stayed there, absolutely breathless, wiating, hoping, praying. 'Please Nic...' She felt warmer to him, just a little bit, maybe it was the full sunlight in the maze, or wishful thinking, or maybe... A velvety ear twitched. Hope sprang up in Nack quick as a shot from a gun. "Nic..?!" he dare breathe the name. Was this how she felt? Or even beyond that... how Rocky must have felt when Andre came back from the dead. 'Phoenix should be our family's last name that's for sure.' he thought, and smiled broadly.  
  
"Na... Nack?" Nick groaned. For a moment, all she could manage was to open her exhausted tired eyes, and then make sure nothing was broken by attempting to move her hands, which she did with limited success at first. "Nack... I was so scared I..." She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck... She was actually crying. "I've never been so close... to death."  
  
"It's not your time to go see Mama yet.." Nack smiled softly and returned the rare affectionate hug. He didn't want to ask her yet... what happened. And as the Echidna had hoped... Nic's memories were a little bit fuzzy when he did. "It's okay... I'm here now Nic..."  
  
Nic sighed and smiled, for once feeling what others call content. It's always nice... knowing someone loves you, and that's something she rarely let anyone tell her. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she heard those words... maybe it was from Mama last time. "Yeah... Hey... we still have to live y' know? As brother and Sister? Cause if we don't... you know..." She sighed softly, "then... our employers won't be able to hire the other as an insurence policy..."  
  
Nack laughed. "Silliest durn thing I've heard from you sis. Welcome back." 


End file.
